The weeks prior to a Ryder Cup are always dominated by talk of who will and who won’t be there, but there has never been a build-up quite like this one.
Ever since LIV came into being last summer, how both the US and European Ryder Cup teams would shape up has been debated over and over again.
Henrik Stenson, of course, was Europe’s skipper until the Swede joined the controversial Tour, after which Luke Donald was appointed.
As the feud between LIV and the established Tours continued, a number of players resigned from the DP World Tour and, in the process, seemed to have waved goodbye to their Ryder Cup careers.
However, although, on the European team, LIV players won’t be competing or participating in a vice captaincy role in Rome, with the proposed unity in the game there appears to be a possibility that the door hasn’t been permanently shut.
As far as Rome and the 2023 Ryder Cup is concerned, here are the LIV Europeans who have missed out.
LEE WESTWOOD
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Worsop man’s best days as a player may well be behind him, but he’s always been a force to be reckoned with in the Ryder Cup, and he’s most definitely captain material.
“Clearly I would like to be Ryder Cup captain at some stage, but I’m of the opinion that the Ryder Cup should be the best 12 players in Europe against the best 12 players from America,” Westwood told talkSPORT in July.
It’s hard to picture a future Ryder Cup without Westwood talking into a walky talky.
SERGIO GARCIA
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The all-time Ryder Cup leader in points is another player who, for the time being at least, looks set to be looking in from the outside so far as the Ryder Cup is concerned.
The former Masters champion has amassed a record 25.5 points since making his Ryder Cup debut in 1999, but having resigned his DP World Tour membership, he now finds himself in the same boat as Westwood.
IAN POULTER
(Image credit: Getty Images)
England’s Ian Poulter is also in that boat. If he has played his last Ryder Cup, he will at least have bowed out with his singles record in tact – although that won’t be any consolation.
No one enjoys beating the Americans more than…
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